Hatch Rust Repair and Resticking Nameplates (1 Viewer)

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Gang:

I just thought I would provide you guys with an estimate to fix any rear liftgate rust you may have (I'm still 'working' with Lexus to try and have this fixed under warranty) and I also have a question. I went to my current Lexus/Toyota combined dealer as well as a second Toyota dealer that sent me to 'their shop' - an interesting contrast

My dealer's shop is in perfect condition, very clean and tidy and professional. They provided me with two written quotes driven by 'Mitchell'. The first is a repair (11.5 hours or work) and C$266 in parts (more on this later) for a total of C$1,000(~US$700) (with taxes) :tear:. The second option is for a rear hatch replacement (9.6 hours) for C$2,380 :eek: :eek:. They mentioned that there are no clips where the rust is (bottom of glass, about 4" in on both sides, size of quarters) and that water just accumulates at this point. They also noted that 4 Runners suffer from this - which, I think, bolsters my warranty claim?!

The second place was a total dive (I'm amazed that the dealer uses them for repairs - not good for the brand). A mom and pop kind of shop, with about 6 cars stuffed into a very small garage, lots of cars and car parts littering the parking area and 2" of dust on everything. He jotted down a quote of C$700 before tax (no part by part), but I do have to give it to him for his seat of the pants accuracy! I'm willing to spend the ~20% premium to use the dealer.

Now my question - My dealer noted that I will need new rear emblems on my hatch as they are not reusable (eg LX450 nameplate, 4WD, etc) for a parts cost of ~$200 and labor ~ $30. If I could get Lexus to pay $500 and I reuse the nameplates, I'm only out ~$250. I thought that I've seen posts indicating that they can come off using a heat gun, fishing line, etc? What should I use to reattach (one of the 3M sealers, marine bedding compound,...)?

Thanks for any help!

Cheers, Hugh
 
CDN,

Yes, you can get them off and using a heat gun will help, but use caution. A heat gun gets VERY hot and can melt plastic quicker then you can say :beer:
If possible try to do the heating from the inside of the panel, still being careful, it will also bubble the paint very quickly, but if you are replacing it then don't matter.
Putting them back on. I reused a few of mine as well and I used a 3m product that is for molding. Out of probably five things I refastened, only one has needed to be redone. Making sure the bonding area is clean is the key to success.
Good luck.

Yomama
 
I used to work in a body shop many moons ago. Here's what I used to do. Get a bondo spreader and a hair drier. Heat up the emblem and slide the spreader underneath it slowly. Take your time, and should come right off. Plus, the backing will be loose, and you can rub it off with your fingers. Hope that helps.
 
Thanks guys - Yoma - do have a product number/name for the 3M stuff (is it marketed for automotive molding?)

Cheers, Hugh :beer:
 
The big long one "LEXUS LX450" will be almost impossible to pull off without trashing it. I dealt with my "TOYOTA LAND CRUISER" one. It came off in one piece but removing the old sticky stuff trashed it :ugh:
 
Have you priced out buying a used tailgate with no rust and repainting? cruisernet might have one. They also have quoted me for a used big plexiglass landcruiser emblem so they must have a way to get it off..
 
I've taken my badges off using a hair dryer and plastic knife. To glue back on (after painting) I used a little silicon and they have been on for 2 years with no problem. (once I used a little of the blue gasket goo you can buy - that worked too)

Jim :beer:
 
Have you priced out buying a used tailgate with no rust and repainting?  cruisernet might have one.

Semlin - thanks for the tip :)(how is your truck withstanding the BC rains?)

I've fired off an email to a recycler. I'm not familiar with Cruisernet - what is it, where do I find it? My only concern would be that the cost of truck shipping, taxes and (maybe?) duties would kill this option

Cheers, Hugh
 
My wife just had her rear hatch repainted at her dad's shop. He replaced the Toyota emblem and masked the "Full Time..." emblem. My brother removes and reuses emblems all the time in his business, works it off with a plastic scraper (bondo knife?) and soapy water. Re-applies adhesive to the foam back with 3M spray adhesive, same as most OEM adhesive. He does this with new cars at dealerships all the time, no problems. Be sure to measure location first, unless you've got another cruiser handy as a guide :G
 
Hugh, I still haven't fixed the sunroof leak. Whenever it leaks it's raining so who wants to fix it then, and when it's sunny it don't leak :D

I meant cruiserparts.net. &nbsp:Duty will be 6.1% if they remember to charge it plus pst and GST. I get stuff shipped near the border and pick it up myself.

There was a rolled 94 in town being parted out 2 months ago with an intact tailgate (they would not sell me the landcruiser logo separately). &nbsp:Don't know if it would fit. PM if that would interest you.

I think even if a new tailgate costs more it's better than a rust repair that likely won't take anyway.
 
HERES MY posts from a previous thread.............

my 80(1996 w/49000 miles)supposedly came from the new jersey area(car fax report)and when off lease was bought by a dealer in northern va...

only rust on it is around the trailer hitch and the rear upper hatch(only real problem area) here is the pic:
Rust%20spot%20repaired.jpg



my friends and i speculate that upon assembly of the rear glass,the "rope" or string that was used to install the glass window,may have pealed away some of the paint there and subsequent years on the road caused the area to rust.
dealer wants 500.00 just to repair that little area!!!!

a friend and i scraped it clean and used por-15 to stop further rust,and also the nasty stain that kept forming after every rain/snow..
i dont notice it a whole lot now,since the rusty place is turned to black,so its ok,for now.......

no other real issues with rust but that one.......



doug
 
Personally I'd take it to the messy shop. 2 reasons:

1. Off the top of his head he knew the price.

2. He's too busy to clean up.

In my profession it is always the guy with the clean toolbox that can't fix s***! You show me a messy toolbox and I'll show you a guy who digs in and finds the difficult problems and is too tired at the end of the day to staighten up afterwards. This really only applies to profesionals who work 8 hour days and use them all for their job. I'm sure plenty of us on this board have time for both. :G
 
Rick,

EXCELENT observation. I've been waiting to see if somebody was going to grab that ball and run with it......... :G

The most talented mechanic in our shop is surrounded by odd-ball stuff and has s**t stacked 2 feet deep sometimes. He cleans his bays up twice a year and it takes him 2 weeks to get back to normal. He can't function when it's picked up.
The best time to get him to do something is when you are afraid to walk thru the bay from fear of falling on yer arse.
 
Looking at the pics, my question is why would you want to stick those emblems back on? You didn't tell us you had the pimp package.

C-dan - sell this guy a new set of Black Pearl emblems.

If the messy shop is a sign of excellence, I'm a damn automotive genius.
 
When someone is bold enough to point out the crap in my office I remind them of this of saying:

"If a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind, what does an empty desk mean?"

-B-
 

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